1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to knee prostheses and, particularly, to femoral and tibial prostheses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prostheses are commonly utilized to repair and/or replace damaged bone and tissue in the human body. For example, a knee prosthesis may be implanted to replace damaged or destroyed bone in the tibia and/or femur and to recreate the natural, anatomical articulation of the knee joint. In a femoral prosthesis, the prosthesis may be shaped to replicate one or both of the natural femoral condyles. A femoral prosthesis may be formed entirely of a rigid metal, which can be formed in complicated geometries and withstand the unique load patterns experienced by the femoral component. After resecting the distal end of the femur, one side of the femoral component is secured to the bone stock of the femur and the opposing side of the femoral component is configured for articulation against a prosthetic tibial component or the natural tibia.
A prosthetic tibial component may include a first, articulating component having a concave condyle portion configured for articulation against the femoral component. The articulating component of the tibial prosthesis may be secured to a tray component that has an opposing side for securing the tibial prosthesis to the bone stock of a resected proximal tibia. The articulating component of the tibial prosthesis may be made from a polymer to facilitate articulation with the femoral component, while the tray component of the tibial prosthesis may be made from a metal to provide additional strength and rigidity to the tibial prosthesis. In this manner, the femoral component and tibial component work together to replicate the natural, anatomical articulation of the knee joint.